Raptors NBA Draft Thread: Jeremy Lamb (HOU)

[Undefeated]

In his interview, his mannerisms & even the way he talks reminds me Chris Bosh.

When Lamb brought up the comparison of himself to Jamal Crawford, people were saying how he isn't cocky enough. But why that matter? Maybe he's just being humble and doesn't want to come off as some cocky prospect who has yet to prove himself. Being humble isn't a bad thing like KD is.

[JamesNaismith]

With more than a month of personal workouts to wow GMs, i expect to Lamb to be a lock to be gone before the 8th spot. If Beal slips, that would be one heck of a pickup for us. And if Beal and Lamb are both gone? **** you GOTTA consider PJIII then.

If we are able to pick up one of Beal, Lamb or Barnes, then the tank will have been worth it. If not.....meh....

100% agree.

Everyone else I'll feel disappointed and like I gotta see them play & prove that they are a stud.

[MainEvent]

With more than a month of personal workouts to wow GMs, i expect to Lamb to be a lock to be gone before the 8th spot. If Beal slips, that would be one heck of a pickup for us. And if Beal and Lamb are both gone? **** you GOTTA consider PJIII then.

I really don't see us taking PJII, I think were taking a player who can hit shots. Barnes/Beal, Lamb/Lillard or Ross.

[fredericklove]

With more than a month of personal workouts to wow GMs, i expect to Lamb to be a lock to be gone before the 8th spot. If Beal slips, that would be one heck of a pickup for us. And if Beal and Lamb are both gone? **** you GOTTA consider PJIII then.

I really don't see us taking PJII, I think were taking a player who can hit shots. Barnes/Beal, Lamb/Lillard or Ross.

I have a pretty big assumption that BC will put Lamb and Lillard on top of his list, no Barnes no Lamb, then Lillard as the so called sexy PG of the future pick and throw big money at Batum so we'll have the 1 and the 3 holes filled. Although I hope we draft Lamb if he's available. I'm not too into Lillard but...idc who else I like besides Lamb and Sully (don't think BC will take him).

[SkywalkerAC]

The only real concern I have with Lamb is whether he can be an impact player defensively or if he's destined to come off the bench as instant offense. That, and his leadership potential. Otherwise, he looks like a flat-out stud shooting guard prospect. Elite handle/fluidity combined with elite shooting ability; I can see why he compares himself to Jamal Crawford.

[Anatomize]

This is my pick for who I want for us at #8 (other than Beal - who shouldn't be available then unless something is wrong in workouts - highly doubtful).

[nahom1319]

With more than a month of personal workouts to wow GMs, i expect to Lamb to be a lock to be gone before the 8th spot. If Beal slips, that would be one heck of a pickup for us. And if Beal and Lamb are both gone? **** you GOTTA consider PJIII then.

I really don't see us taking PJII, I think were taking a player who can hit shots. Barnes/Beal, Lamb/Lillard or Ross.

I have a pretty big assumption that BC will put Lamb and Lillard on top of his list, no Barnes no Lamb, then Lillard as the so called sexy PG of the future pick and throw big money at Batum so we'll have the 1 and the 3 holes filled.

I agree BC wants these holes filled asap

But on a serious note I just can't see Beal dropping to 8. If Lamb gets taken then I expect Barnes or Drummond to drop to us. Question is does BC take them over Lillard? I say take Barnes.

[CreaM]

Lamb wont be there at 8.

[Double Helix]

I'm also beginning to have my doubts that he'll be there at 8 and the reason is scarcity. Forgive me if you've heard this rant from me before but have a look at this list of SG stars arranged by PER.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinge ... ition%3dsg

D-Wade will be 31 next year. Manu will be 35. Bryant will be 34.

How many other star SGs remain?

Harden
Joe Johnson
Monta Ellis
Kevin Martin

Anybody else worth mentioning? Will Marcus Thornton continue to rise? Can OJ Mayo ever find the kind of form he showed as a rookie? Will Klay Thompson rise up?

People used to draft Cs in the lottery because 7 footers with talent were hard to come by. We all used to think that good SGs grew on trees because we used to be in an era where the position was stronger. 10 years ago... There were 20 SGs with PERs of around 17 or above (Szerbiak and Ricky Davis were ranked 19th and 20th). Today there are only 7. The SG position has been depleted for a number of years though drafts that didn't feature many 6'6-6'7 stars and the stars that were there have already retired, are fading fast, or are getting older. If the league average for PER is normally 15.0 or if a PER of 15.0 represents a pretty good player than most of the SGs in the league aren't good because the league average for SGs at the moment is only 12.51 (Second only to SFs at the moment). The position is ripe for the taking and the drop off from the superstars to the less than average is a pretty bid drop off so there's plenty of reason to think both Beal and Lamb could become top 10 at their positions despite coming out of the same draft. The scarcity of scoring talent coming out of the college ranks these days standing 6'5-6'7 is as much a part of the reason why I'm on board with Lamb as anything. We'd have a matchup we could exploit against many other teams in the league in an iso and a nice 1-2 scoring punch between Bargnani and Lamb with JV there to clean up the misses and put them back in. Lamb is still younger than Kyrie Irving after all. He still has room to grow as a player and as an offensive weapon.

[wanker]

Tim Chisolm's take on Lamb, the majority of which I agree with (the Lamb hype on this board is lol-inducing):

http://www.thecheapseats.ca/2012/06/uco ... ptors.html

[Reignman]

Tim Chisolm's take on Lamb, the majority of which I agree with (the Lamb hype on this board is lol-inducing):

http://www.thecheapseats.ca/2012/06/uco ... ptors.html

As Tim wrote, here's my biggest issue with Lamb:

Fundamentally, my biggest issue with Lamb revolves around his career-defining passivity. It is the virus that infects all areas of his game. Does Lamb have a robust offensive arsenal? Yes, but he’d rather settle for long jumpers than work to find the best shot possible. Does he possess enviable athleticism? Yes, but his anemic free throw numbers attest to his indifference towards using it as a consistent weapon. His long arms could make him a defensive terror if he cared enough about moving his feet, defensive positioning or paying attention off of the ball to make use of them. He also can’t make plays for others, consistently hit the three or play any position besides shooting guard. Basically, while Lamb possesses all of the tools to be a standout prospect, his use of those tools makes him look a whole lot more pedestrian as a prospect for the Raptors.

Dude has a weak motor and seems scared of contact. Guys like that become standstill jump shooters in the NBA.

[deeps6x]

I'm also beginning to have my doubts that he'll be there at 8 and the reason is scarcity. Forgive me if you've heard this rant from me before but have a look at this list of SG stars arranged by PER.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinge ... ition%3dsg

D-Wade will be 31 next year. Manu will be 35. Bryant will be 34.

How many other star SGs remain?

Harden
Joe Johnson
Monta Ellis
Kevin Martin

Anybody else worth mentioning? Will Marcus Thornton continue to rise? Can OJ Mayo ever find the kind of form he showed as a rookie? Will Klay Thompson rise up?

People used to draft Cs in the lottery because 7 footers with talent were hard to come by. We all used to think that good SGs grew on trees because we used to be in an era where the position was stronger. 10 years ago... There were 20 SGs with PERs of around 17 or above (Szerbiak and Ricky Davis were ranked 19th and 20th). Today there are only 7. The SG position has been depleted for a number of years though drafts that didn't feature many 6'6-6'7 stars and the stars that were there have already retired, are fading fast, or are getting older. If the league average for PER is normally 15.0 or if a PER of 15.0 represents a pretty good player than most of the SGs in the league aren't good because the league average for SGs at the moment is only 12.51 (Second only to SFs at the moment). The position is ripe for the taking and the drop off from the superstars to the less than average is a pretty bid drop off so there's plenty of reason to think both Beal and Lamb could become top 10 at their positions despite coming out of the same draft. The scarcity of scoring talent coming out of the college ranks these days standing 6'5-6'7 is as much a part of the reason why I'm on board with Lamb as anything. We'd have a matchup we could exploit against many other teams in the league in an iso and a nice 1-2 scoring punch between Bargnani and Lamb with JV there to clean up the misses and put them back in. Lamb is still younger than Kyrie Irving after all. He still has room to grow as a player and as an offensive weapon.

YEAH BUT...

Actually I agree with most of what you said. Although not sure why DWade isn't in your list of SG stars.

Your reasoning is why I'm torn about DD. There are so few quality SGs at the moment, and he is still developing, so it seems that DD IS GONNA GET PAID. But I really don't want it to be BC paying him unless he REALLY shows improvement next season. If I was BC, I'm trying to extend DD for $5M/yr for 3 years this summer. Take it or we trade you.

As for Lamb, yeah, people scoff, but at the moment, he is #6 on my list. Although the highest he could possibly go is 7th. And that is only if Drummond or Barnes fall more.

[Fairview4Life]

Tim Chisolm's take on Lamb, the majority of which I agree with (the Lamb hype on this board is lol-inducing):

http://www.thecheapseats.ca/2012/06/uco ... ptors.html

Worrying about how any of these prospects "fit" with "these Raptors" is lol-inducing...with there maybe being an exception at C.

At 8 we're looking at a flawed player we can hopefully fix. Guys like Perry Jones, or Lamb, or Lillard.

[Rhettmatic]

Chisholm lost his credibility with respect to Lamb when he compared him to DeMar DeRozan in a TSN blog post a couple weeks ago. I see he trotted that out a few times in that blog post as well.

Anyway, I agree with Fairview -- I'm not sure which prospect at 8 is going to be flawless. And drafting based on who "fits" with this train-wreck of a roster -- as Chisholm does in that post -- is folly.

[Dr Positivity]

Damn, shots fired by Chisholm, that was a weirdly biased hulk smash for a Raptors beat writer (it was officially posted on TSN though)

Random note, I just had this weird feeling that Tim Chisholm is the Bruce Wayne to dagger's Batman

[Undefeated]

The hyperbole that Lamb is afraid of contact is not true at all. He averaged 4 FTAs per game and has a wide variety of floaters and teardrops with either hand, so does that scream a prospect who's shy of physical play?

[Rhettmatic]

The hyperbole that Lamb is afraid of contact is not true at all. He averaged 4 FTAs per game and has a wide variety of floaters and teardrops with either hand, so does that scream a prospect who's shy of physical play?

Yeah, Lamb averaged 3.6 FTA while Beal averaged 4.7 and DeMar, whose sole supposed strength is getting to the line, averaged 4.2 in his freshman year.

Obviously it's fair to question Lamb's willingness to absorb contact. You hope that some added upper-body strength would help. But it's an issue that's being overblown pretty dramatically by Chisholm and a few others here.

[Kreamy]

Chrisholm makes some great points that can't be dismissed. Lamb's passive demeanor is definitely a huge red flag. We've seen it again and again - players with great talent and physical attributes that never realize their potential because of their demeanor/attitude. I'd much rather have a player who's less gifted but busts his ass to realize his potential, than someone who just teases us with it.

Still would like to see Colangelo move up to nab one of Beal or Gilchrist. If we stay at 8, I still maintain Kendall Marshall will be the steal of the draft, and should be given some serious consideration with our pick.

[raptor21_85]

im not used to watched draft prospect vids.. but since this comes down to Lamb vs Lillard, i watched them over youtube.. and damn.. both are good fits for this team.. it will be a tough decision, depending on signing a PG (Nash or Dragic).. the question is,, if we draft Lamb, what should we do with DeMar knowing that he doesnt have the size to be moved to SF position..
Can you see a move like this happening??
Sign Nash or Dragic
Draft Lamb
Trade DeRozan + smth else for Gay
??

Nash
Lamb
Gay
Bargs
JV

[BillyGM]

Will Lamb live up his Miller comparison?